Amusement apparatus



J. A. HEALY.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPtICATION FILED FEB. 10.1921.

4 SHEEISSHEET l.

Patented May 24, 1921.

J. A. HEALY.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10. 1921.

Patented May 24,1921.

J. A. HEALY.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.10.1921.

" Patented May 24, 1921.

4 SHFETS$HEET 3.

J. A. HEALY.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10. 1921.

1,379, 1 85 Patented May 24, 1921.

4 SHEE] S-SHEET. 4.

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UNITED STATES JAMES A. HEALY, 0F BROOKLYNv NEW YORK.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

Application filed February 10, 1921.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, James A. I'IEALY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus, of which the following is a spec fication.

My improvements relate to the class of amusement devices in which independently rotatable cars, or tubs so called, are provided for the conveyance and entertainment of passengers over a prescribed route. The object of my invention is to increase the scope, efficiency, usefulness, and attractiveness of apparatus of this class by extending and varying the route traversed by the rotatable tubs as compared with the prior state of the art, and at the same time to render the apparatus simple in construction and operation, and safe for patrons.

To this end the invention consists in the specific combination of parts and devices herein described and claimed, a distinctive feature being the use of a plurality of rotating platforms in conjunction with a plurality of intermediately positioned traveling platforms arranged to transfer the free, independently rotatable passenger tubs or cars from one rotatable platform to the other, substantially as hereinafter set forth, whereby a practically continuous, endless route-is afforded, over and around which the cars are transmitted individually and collectively in a promiscuous manner, causing merriment for occupants and spectators alike. i

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1, is a plan of an installation of apparatus embodying the essential features of my invention;

Fig. 2, is a plan of one end thereof on a larger scale, broken away in part for convenience of illustration;

Fig. 3, is a vertical section taken upon plane of the zigzag line 3--3, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4, is a side elevation of an extremity of one of the endless traveling platforms, supports, eta;

Fig. 5, is a transverse section taken upon plane of line '5-5, Fig. 4:,

Fig. 6, is a View of the under side of one of the assenger carsor tubs;

Fig, is a plan similar to Fig. 1, showing a modification wherein three rotating plat- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 24, 1921.

Serial No. 443,871.

forms and three intermediate transfer platforms, are combined in one unitary installation.

My apparatus consists essentially oftwo or more rotating platforms A, A, between which are positioned endless traveling platforms B, B, arranged to transfer the cars or tubs C, C, from one rotating platform to the other, said rotating platforms A, A, traveling in the same direction, and the transfer platforms B, B, in opposite directions as related to each other, so as to convey the tubs C, alternately from one rotating platform A, to the other.

As shown by way of exemplification in the drawings, the rotating platforms A, A, are annular in shape, their under sides having annular rail flanges a, rigidly attached thereto, which rest upon and travel on grooved rollers a, a, mounted in suitable bearings a (1 supported on the basic structure e. In Fig. 2, of the drawings the rotatable platform A, therein shown is provided with three concentric flanges a, a, a, for which three equidistant sets of rollers a, a, are provided, with intermediate rollers a", a, (Fig. 2) for the middle flange, so as to effectually steady and centralize the said rotatable platform A.

The under side of the rotatable platform A, has also rigidly attached to it an annular gear rack (i with which meshes a driving pinion (Z, upon the upper end of a countershaft d, mounted in a bearing standard (1 which also supports the drive end of a power shaft 79, the driven end of which is mounted in a fixed bearing (Z3, secured to a stationary part. The power shaft 12, is provided with a pulley p, for engagement with a power-transmitting belt 72 driven by an electric motor M, or equivalent source of motion and power, as may be found most expedient.

The power shaft 7), is also journaled on a pillow block (5", and has rigidly aflixed to it a worm p with which meshes a worm gear 9, on the inner end of a horizontal countershaft g, positioned at right angles to the power shaft p, and journaled in said pillow block (i and on a fixed standard 71, (Figs. 2 and 4). This horizontal countershaft 9, has rigidly mounted u on itthe sprocket wheels g 9 which engage with and drive the endless sprocket chains 7), 7), to which the slats b, b, constituting the traveling platform B, are articularly secured in a manner well known in the art, the upperstrands of said endless chains 5, b, traveling over and being supported upon longitudinal traction rail plates 6 I), resting on a longitudinal table if, supported in turn on truss standards I), 72 as shown more particularly in Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

It is to be understood that the endless chains 7), b, and slats b, b, are supported at the other extremity of the endless loop by means of a corresponding shaft and sprocket wheels, around which the flexible platform B, travels as an endless belt, in a manner well known in the art.

F, F, are stationary floors positioned be tween the rotating platforms A, A, and the traveling platforms B, B, for the purpose of bridging over the intervening spaces, the top surfaces of said bridge floors F, F, being on a level with the common superficial planes of both the rotatable platforms A, and the traveling platforms B, so that the tubs C, will readily roll over said bridge surfaces F, F, under the impetus imparted to them by said traveling surfaces. f, f, are span plates countersunk in the edges of the bridge floors F, F, adjacent to the bights of the endless platforms B, B, to compensate for the curvatures of said traveling platforms as they pass around the sprocket wheels g 9 The construction and arrangement of parts above described may be duplicated for each rotatable platform A, and endless traveling platform B, incorporated in the device, considered as a unitary structure or installation. That is to say, each rotatable platform and one traveling platform may be actuated by correlated operative parts and mechanism as exemplified in Figs. 2 and 3, although if preferredjor rendered desirable by exigencies of installation, each platform, ,both rotatable and traveling, may be driven and controlled independently without departing from, the spirit and intent of my invention in this respect, the essential feature being the interposition of traveling transfer platforms B, between the rotatable plat forms A, substantially as herein set forth, and for the purpose specified.

In this connection it may be noted that any plural number of rotating platforms A, A, and intermediate traveling platforms B, B, may be installed to act in conjunction and correlation. Thus in Fig. 1, I show a duplex arrangement of parts, whereas in Fig. 8, the same principle is incorporated in-a triple installation, with like results; and obviously four or more rotatable platforms and intermediate endless traveling platforms might in like manner be combined in one installation if properly spaced apart.

Obviously also, the direction of motion is not material provided the traveling platforms B, operating in conjunction with each.

rotatable platform A, travel in opposite directions, so that one delivers the passenger tubs C, to the rotatable platform and the other receives said cars therefrom.

The tubs or rotatable cars C, are preferably although not necessarily of circular form, being provided peripherally with buffers c, for contact with the other cars and with the guard rails 1", 1', which latter prescribe the course of travel and lateral play of the tubs within certain limits. .Each tub C, is mounted upon a plurality (three or more) of caster wheels or rollers 0 0", which allow the car to travel freely and independently over the supporting surfaces under the impetus imparted thereby. Thus, the centrifugal. force exerted upon the cars by the rotating platforms A, will cause the cars to travel tangentially into contact with concentric portions of the guard rails r, r, the impact ofsuch contact causing the car to rotate on its center, and tending to impart centripetal motion thereto, so that in ass-' ing around the end curvesof the route the motion of the cars will be more or less erratieand irregular. Furthermore as the cars C, are free to move laterally on the endless traveling platforms B, B, the independent motion thus acquired by the cars will cause them to carom against each other and against the side guide rails 1 the heavier laden cars traveling faster over the route than the others by reason ofthe fact that they cling more tenaciously to the supporting surface than the lighter laden cars, thus adding an element of chance to the speed and time involved in circumambulatory travel, with possible complications incidental to temporary contactual engagement with the guard rail and other cars.

It is to be understood that by the term guard rail as herein employed I mean to designate and include any equivalent structure or means for limiting and prescribing the path of transit of the cars C, over both 110 the rotatable platforms A, and the traveling transfer platforms B, substantially as herein set forth.

In this connection attention is called to the fact that while ample provision is made 115 for conveying the cars over a predetermined route, the motion of the cars is not positive in that they are each and all free to adapt themselves separately to circumstances incidental to travel as above indicated,re- 120 sulting in whirling or gyratory movements imparted to the cars individually, independ- "ent of and in addition to their bodily conmay be attained and imparted thereto by differentiating the superficial speed of the rotatable platforms A, as related to that of the transfer platforms B, so that the transfer of the cars from the traveling platforn'is B,to the rotatable platforms A, will retard or accelerate the motion of said cars, as the case may be. Thus, for instance, the superficial speed of the rotatable platforms A, may be greater than that of the traveling platforms B, imparting sufficient centrifugal motion to the cars to cause them to impinge more or less forcefully against the concentric portion of the guard rail '1", thereby causing said cars to rotate and gyrate as they swing around the curve.

The construction and operation of my amusement zmparatus is comparatively simple and inexpensive, there being no complication of parts, while the danger of breakage is reduced to a minimum. Furthermore the fact that the cars are not positively dragged around the course mitigates and reduces the danger of accident to the passengers therein.

Another advantage attained by my combination and arrangement of parts and devices is that the operative mechanism is hidden entirely from view, and isolated and protected in such a Way that the same cannot be blocked ontampered with in any manner whatsoever, by outsiders,-the only visible and accessible operative part being the upper surfaces of the platforms A, B, and the cars C, resting thereon. To this end the spaces 8, between the traveling platforms B, and the central spaces 8', Within the annular rotatable platforms A, are inclosed in any suitable manner,the observation platform 0. and outer side walls below the latter marginally inclosi-ng the apparatus.

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

'1. In amusement apparatus of the character designated, the combination of a plurality of rotatable platforms, intermediate traveling platforms arranged to convey and transfer a passenger car from one rotatable platform to another, and said passenger car unattached and supported loosely on ,the movable surfaces of said platforms, for the purpose described.

2. In amusement apparatus of the character designated, the combination of a plurality of rotatable platforms, intermediate traveling platforms arranged to convey and transfer a plurality of passenger cars from one rotatable platform to another and said passenger cars unattached and supported loosely on the movable surfaces of said platforms, for the purpose described.

3. In amusement apparatus of the character designated, the combination of a plural ity of rotatable platforms, intermediate traveling platforms arranged to convey and transfer a plurality of passenger cars from one rotatable platform to another, and said passenger cars each independently mounted on a plurality of caster rollers and unattached and supported loosely on the movable surfaces of said platforms, for the purpose described.

4. In amusement apparatus of the character designuted, the combination of a plurality of rotatable platforms, intermediate travelingplatforms arranged to convey and transfer a plurality of passenger cars from one rotatable platform to another, said passenger cars unattached and supported loosely on the movable surfaces of said platforms, and guard rails positioned to limit and prescribe the route traversed by said passenger cars,'for the purpose described.

5. In amusement apparatus of the character designated, the combination of a plurality of rotatable platforms, intermediate traveling platforms arranged to convey and transfer a plurality of passenger cars from one rotatable platform to another, said passenger cars each independently mounted on a plurality of caster rollers and unattached and supported loosely on the movable surfaces of said platforms, and guard rails positioned to limit and prescribe the route traversed by said passenger cars, for the purpose described.

6. In amusement apparatus of the character designated,,the combination of plurality of annular rotatable platforms, inter mediate endless traveling platforms arranged to convey and transfer a plurality of passenger cars from one rotatable platform to another, and said passenger cars unattached and supported loosely on the movable surfaces of said platforms, for the purpose described.

7. In amusement apparatus of the character designated, tlie combination of a. plurality of rotatable platforms, intermediate traveling platforms arranged to convey and transfer passenger cars from one rotatable platform to another, bridge floors interposed between said rotatable platforms, and a plurality of passenger cars unattached and supported loosely on the movable surfaces of said platforms, for the purpose described.

8. In amusement apparatus of the character designated, the combination of a plurality of rotatable platforms, intermediate endless traveling platforms arranged to convey and transfer passenger cars from one rotatable platform to another, bridge floors interposed betiveen said rotatable platforms and said endless traveling platforms, guard rails positioned to limit and prescribe the route traveled by the passenger cars, and said passenger cars unattached and support ed loosely on the moving surfaces of said platforms, for the purpose described.

9. In amusement apparatus of the character designated, the combination of a'plurality of rotatable platforms, intermediate traveling platforms arranged to convey and transfer a plurality of passenger cars from one rotatable platform to another, and said passenger cars each of circular form and independently mounted on a plurality of caster rollers and unattei'ided and support-ed loosely on. the movable surfaces of said platforms, for thepurpose described.

10. In amusement apparatus of the character designated, the combination of a plurality of rotatable platforms, intermediate traveling platforms arranged to convey and transfer a. pin ality of passenger cars from one rotatable platform to another, said passenger cars being each of circular shape and provided with peripheral buffers and also being independently mounted on a plurality 15 of caster rollers and unattached and supported loosely on the movable surfaces of said platforms, and guard rails positioned to limit and prescribe the route traversed by said passenger cars, for'the purpose de- 20 scribed.

JAMES A. HEALY.

Vitnesses G120. WM. MIATT, WILLJAM HEALY. 

